Multiple socket wrench



Dec. 28, 1954 .1. KOZAKEWICH MULTIPLE SOCKET WRENCH Filed April 20, 1953 1 3 .Ffg 7 l5 I8 z-ziyg 20 I9 WIT v INVENTOR \lomv K lnfle'wvcfl AT TOR NEY United States Paten'tO to Inventions Development Co. Ltd., Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, a company of Alberta Application April 20, 1953, SerialNo. 349,627 1 Claim. (:1. 81-185) This device relates generally to wrenches of the socket type, and more particularly to a multiple socket wrench wherein a plurality of sockets are nested slideably within a single casing and wherein means is provided for selecting a socket of the required size.

It is an object of my device to provide a socket wrench of this type constructed from a minimum of parts and capable of being disassembled quickly and easily when cleaning or repair is necessitated.

Numerous other objects and advantages of my device will become obvious to those skilled in the art on reading the following specification in the light of the attached drawings. It should be understood that the information disclosed therein is by way of illustration and example only and is not intended in any way as a limitation. The invention herein is to be limited only by the terms of the appended claims and by the prior art.

In the drawings wherein only one preferred embodiment of the inventive idea is illustrated and wherein like numbers refer to like or similar parts:

Figure l is a side elevational view of my device partly broken away to illustrate the sockets nested therein.

Figure 2 is another side elevational view of my device at right angles to the view in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a top view of the device as illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a bottom view of the device as illustrated in Figure 2.

Figures 5, 6 and 7 are side elevational views of the sockets of the device.

Figure 8 is a top view of one end of the socket spring release mechanism.

Figure 9 is a broken away side elevational view of one end of the spring release mechanism.

Figure 10 is a side elevational view illustrating the component parts of the socket spring release and holding mechanism.

Broadly speaking, v my device comprises a plurality of sockets nested slideably together, each being capable of vertical sliding movement with respect to the remainder. The plurality of sockets are fitted slideably within a suitable container that is provided With means for attaching a socket wrench handle or other suitable leverage bar. Selection of the appropriate socket is accomplished by suitable thumb and finger buttons located on the outer surface of the container and accessible readily to the operator.

In greater detail, my device comprises the container 1 which is preferably cylindrical in shape and which has the reduced squared protuberance 2 for the attachment of a suitable socket wrench or leverage bar. The spaced parallel flanges 3, 3 and 4, 4 extend longitudinally on opposite sides of the container 1 and will be described more fully along with the description of the inner socket holding and adjusting means, later in the specification. The inner sockets are illustrated fully in Figures 5, 6 and 7 and, for convenience, are designated generally by the numerals 5, 6 and 7.

These sockets are all illustrated as being hexagonal in shape although it should be understood that the sockets could be manufactured in any desired shape depending on the apparatus with which they are to be used. It will be noted that all of the sockets are identical in construction with the exception of socket which has the enlarged collar at one of its ends. It will also be noted that the sockets vary progressively downwardly in lengths from the inner or smallest socket 5 to the outer Patented Dec. 28, 1954 or largest socket 7. Each of the sockets is provided with opposed openings 11 adjacent the upper ends thereof and with the exception of socket 7, with longitudinal slots 12 immediately below the openings 11 on opposite sides, of each socket. The cylindrical container 1 is also provided with opposed longitudinally extending openings 13, located between the spaced parallel flanges 3, 3, and 4, 4. One of these openings can be seen on reference to Figure 1 and it will be noted here that these openings are of reduced width as compared with the openings 12 in the inner sockets 5, 6 and 7.

- The longitudinal openings 13, 13 on opposite sides of the container 1 are each bisected by a plurality of spaced parallel lateral openings 14, whose use will become evident in the description of the socket holding and p0 sitioning mechanism. These lateral openings 14 on one side of the socket 1, can be seen readily on reference to Figure l in the drawings.

The socket holding, selection and positioning mechanisms will be described with reference to Figures 8, 9 and 10 in the drawings. From these figures, it will be seen that this mechanism comprises the tube 15, the bar 16, and the compression spring 17. The construction of the outer ends of the tube 15, and the bar 16 will be described with reference to Figures 8 and 9 and since the ends are constructed identically, it has been deemed necessary to illustrate and describe only the construction of the end of the bar 16. From Figures 8 and 9 it will be seen that the tube end terminates in the flat projection 18 which is of width suitable to operate slidcably Within the slot 13 between the spaced parallel flanges 3, 3 or 4, 4. A second flat projection 19 of reduced width and height with respect to the projection 18 is positioned at right angles to the projection 18 and is of width suitable to fit within any one of the lateral openings 14 which as previously described bisect the longitudinal openings 13 between the flanges 3, 3 or 4, 4. It will be noted that the diameter of the bar 16 is greater than the width of the projection 19 and that there is provided a seat or bearing surface 20 at the outer end of the bar. As stated previously, this construction for the end of the bar 16 is identical to the construction for the outer end of the tube 15. To facilitate the manipulation of the ends of the tube 15 and the bar 16 there is provided thumb or finger buttons 21 at the extreme end of the projection 18.

Reference to the broken away view of Figure 1 will illustrate clearly the assembled portions of the apparatus and the method of fitting the portions together. It will also be seen clearly that the collar 10 on the socket 5 is of suitable size to fit slideably within the container 1. The other sockets 6 and 7 fit slideably one over the other, and when positioned within the container 1, the external dimensions of the socket 7 are the same as the collar 10.

To fit the sockets within the container 1 ready for operation, it is necessary first to insert the socket 5 until the openings 11 in the socket coincide with the openings 22 on opposite sides of the container 1 at the bottom of the longitudinal slots 13. One of the holding mechanisms comprising the tube 15, the bar 16, and the spring 17 is then fitted together and inserted into the openings 11 by way of the opening 22 on either side of the container. The tube 15 and the bar 16 are then pressed together against the tension spring 17 until the projections 18 at opposite ends of the mechanism, co-act with the longitudinal openings 13 and the socket 5 may be slid upwardly within the containing cylinder 1. The same procedure is adopted for the insertion of the sockets 6 and 7 and when the socket 7 has been slid upwardly in the container, the openings 22 are each fitted with a short grub screw or other suitable device.

It will now be obvious to those skilled in the art that to increase the size of the socket wrench, it is necessary only to depress the buttons 21 at the side of the wrench and slide the inner sockets successively upwardly until the desired socket size is reached. Similarly, to decrease the size of the socket wrench, it is necessary merely to adopt the reverse procedure.

While I have illustrated the described, a multiple socket wrench having three different socket sizes, it must be understood that it is not my intention to limit my device to'this number of sockets. Obviously, the number of sockets and the size and strength of the individual sockets could be increased or decreased without departing in any wayfrom the inventive scope of my device;

What I claim as my invention is:

In a multiple socket wrench consisting of a plurality of sockets fitted slideably together, the largest ofsuch sockets being adapted to form acasing for the remainder of the sockets, and there being longitudinally extending registering slots in the walls of the sockets and the casing; a plurality of spaced lateral-slots bisecting the slots in the casing; a plurality of manually compressible pins mounted diametrically through the slots in the sockets and the casing, projections at the ends of the said pins adapted to engage with the slots in the said. casing when the pins are compressed for movement therealong; additional'projections at the ends of the said pins adapted to lock automatically in the lateral bisecting slots in the said casing when the pins are released.

References Cited inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name I Date 1,185,679 Kalina June 6, 1916 1,346,061 Rosenberg July 6, 1920 1,471,451 Crimp Oct. 23, 1923 1,618,715 Lammers et a1 Feb. 22, 1927 1,997,948 Pearson Apr. 16, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 191,921 Great Britain Jan. 25, 1923 194,145 Great Britain Mar. 8, 1923 

